The Yvenarl
Basic Biography The creatures are tall and slim, with zaffre blue skin, sometimes brighter or darker, with raven black hair. Their eyes glow softly, visible in the night, and can vary from shades of green, yellow, red, and purple. They are built like most humanoids, two arms, two legs, a head, a torso, etc.. At full height, the creatures tend to be anywhere from 5 to 6 feet tall, with rare occurrences of taller heights. The average weight for a fully grown male Yvenarl is 140 lbs to 190 lbs. The average weight for a fully grown female Yvenarl is 150 lbs to 200 lbs. Most of this weight comes from their need to be actively fit, as well as the fact that the race sports two large, blue, leather wings, sprouting from their shoulder blades. In addition, these creatures sport gills on their necks, about an inch above their collarbones. The gills, as well as the large, leather wings, make them powerful swimmers, however, at deeper depths, the wings become virtually useless. Their vision is near-sighted during the day, but at night, registers everything clearly. The average flight speed of a Yvenarl is only 20mph, given the large, heavy frame. Government There is no cohesive government for the towns of the Yvenarl, each town having its own “autocracy”, and major interactions between each town being few and far in between. The towns are ruled by individuals until the individual in charge is killed, be it natural, or otherwise. Rituals to bring new leaders to power are done, and various trials undergone until those who wish to rule are weeded out to a victor. Religion The Yvenarl are very religious, and see themselves as the ‘hands and tools’ of the only goddess they worship. Fulfilling the tasks of their goddess tend to be the only situation in which the towns will work in harmony with one another. Pynaleos, Goddess of Vengeance An exiled goddess among the pantheons, and forgotten by most races, there being seldom records of Pynaleos for getting into constant feuds and butting heads with the other gods, especially those stronger than her. The Obelisk of Pynaleos is the only verification that she exists and that the texts weren’t the writings of a madman. She had caught wind of Ulwe’s plan to plunge the world into an eternal hell, but things had already been put into motion. In an attempt to stop Ulwe from destroying the only realm she had enough power to manipulate anything on, she set off to find the races, and restore the world. However, with her weakened powers, she could not be heard by the races who had barely known of her existence. And so, she turned to the remains of her only outlet; her Obelisk. The creatures that had no name at that time were primitive, and so, she reached out to them through her Obelisk, drawing numerous in, and uniting them. This unification was flawed however; many of the creatures gathered into groups, and set off, but it had been a start. Now, her powers still weak, she sends the Yvenarl, her prized and cherished beings of Prikos, off into the world, in an attempt to slow, and eventually, stop Ulwe’s coming doom. Missions Pynaleos, in an attempt to ultimately stop Ulwe's plans, reaches out to the shamans and mages of the Yvenarl, through the magics of her Obelisk, tasking the race as a whole, which is what bands them together, even if temporarily. Quite often, the strongest members from each town are sent off to complete the given missions and tasks, only to eventually have Pynaleos grant them a favour for completing it, or the Goddess ushering them to send more individuals to complete the task at hand. Major Locations The Obelisk of Pynaleos Located in the forests of the south-eastern continent, the obsidian obelisk stands defiant, amongst the marble rubble of an old and broken temple long forgotten. It’s a mystery who had built the once large temple, or constructed the obelisk that sits in its centre, but it would be impossible to tell now. The mosaic tiles are long shattered, trees and other plants growing through the cracks, nature taking back the temple grounds. The text on the obelisk is indecipherable, a long lost language, though the Yvenarl seem capable of reading it, even if they have never relayed the scripts etched into the stone. The strongest of the Yvenarl in the art of magic visit the obelisk once a month, on a full moon, performing rituals of varying kinds. The obelisk is viewed as the most sacred place among the Yvenarl, and trespassers have been hung from the trees, channels built to catch blood from the victims, and channel them into the runes etched into the marble at the base of the obelisk. Fort of Vzi A large town, with a sturdy palisade built around it, this town is the major defense between the creatures of the southern pole and mountains. It is set in the highlands, a distance away from the mountains, next to one of the few rivers, and is designed to withstand a formidable assault that the beasts could provide. In the mountain ranges, various camps with tall braziers, and large horns are built, both as perimeter defenses all along the border, and as a warning to the Fort, and potentially to the other towns further into the continent. Port Nyhlon Although a small town, it contains the largest port owned by the Yvenarl, the only place actual seafaring vessels can be built, as there is no need for smaller boats, considering the swimming ability of the race. This was also the first town to be discovered by the outside races when they stumbled upon the island. It is located on the northern end of the island.